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Sunday, January 31, 2010

Laura is our newest Design Team member to join the Cutters Creek Team! She is so very talented and I am thrilled she is on my team. I can't wait to share her projects with you and I know you will love her as much as I do. So please stay tuned for our newest artist. She is settling in and you will see her very soon!

Often times when we think about "Get Well" cards, the designs that come to mind are pretty boring and bland. At least, I know that is the true for me! With this fun and flirty card, Angela proves once and for all that this does not have to be the case. By paring trendy colors with a really cute stamped image she is able to create a card that any one would love to receive when they are feeling a bit down.

Look at the die-cut detailing across the bottom of the card. This is my favorite part of this project. It gives the card something interesting and unique that I love. It is just a super classy touch!

Today I was trying to think of a quick, easy project that any level paper crafter could do! I think that I succeeded! You can make this as simple or as fancy as you want by just adding more embellishments!

To start I cut this bag from Plantin SchoolBook using my Cricut Expression Machine. To determine the size I loaded a 12” x 12” piece of paper and selected the “Fit to Page” function key. The machine determined that it would cut the bag at 7 ½”.

Then I used my Scor-Pal to score the folds on the bag and adhered it with my Scor-Tape . For those of you that haven’t tried Scor-Tape yet I highly recommend it for projects that need a little extra sticking power when you don’t want or can’t wait for liquid glue to dry!

Then I stamped my Lily Valentine Fairy onto Prism Simply Smooth cardstock with my Staz-On black ink. Since I am just beginning my Copic collection I used: E00 and E11 for the flesh and R20 to make rosy cheeks. Then I used some pink and yellow markers to color the rest of her.

Friday, January 29, 2010

I have to admit that Angela's latest Design Team project brings a smile to my heart. I LOVE Valentine's Day. To me, one of the most important things that you can do in life is remind your loved ones how your feel about them. It is something that we should remember to do each and every day, yet something that we often take for granted. Love is in short supply, and it is something that I never want to take for granted!

Angela has created this card using a stamp from the ever popular Pink Cat Studios. By coloring the image using Copics, she is able to get a completely custom look to match any paper pack she may want to use. This is one of the best things about using stamps. Unlike stickers, rub-ons or other types of embellishments, you can use a stamp as many times as you want. The image will always be beautiful, and it will always have the exact look and feel that you want for a specific project!

If you have any questions for Angela about her beautiful card, just ask! We always love to hear from our readers.

Thursday, January 28, 2010

Nothing says L-O-V-E like our children. Make your layouts soft and sweet for Valentines’ Day. Added touches like stickers and dimensional pieces bring out the sweetness of your little ones. Pastel chalks are a perfect way to add extra color, soft yet vibrant. Pebbles Chalk palettes have so many colors along with shades, that it is easy to create a dimensional element in no time.

The technique used is called the One Color Pull-Out. This is where you use only 1 color of pastel in each area of the image for shading. Apply the color chalk you want in areas that the shadows would be and pull the color out from the shadow with the color lightening the more you pull the color out. Leave white areas for the highlights. Make sure you stamp your image in permanent ink such as Memento’s Tuxedo Black. Added touch: Edge little word die cuts with chalk as well. Not always necessary, but if you’d like, use an archival spray sealer to seal the chalk.

Supplies:

Cardstock (Bazzill)

Pastel Chalks (Pebbles Basic Palette)

Photo’s or copies of photo’s

Permanent ink, Memento’s Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko)

Stickers and word die cuts

Floral outline Stamp

Memory and Craft Dot n’ Roller Dispenser (Glue Dots)

Scissors (Tonic)

Optional: Tortilla Stump (paper rolled to a point to use in fine areas of pastel work)

Sunday, January 24, 2010

kept this one simple, as it was my first 'foray' into coloring with Copics. It uses House Mouse, one of my new favorite stamps...With All My Heart. These little dudes are adorable! I don't have a lot of Copics, so I made due with the colors that I had. I'm still learning, so don't be too critical of the coloring skills, or lack thereof...

The image was stamped with Memento Tuxedo Black ink, on Prism white card stock. I used Core'dinations Black Magic Cardstock Asst 12"X12" 20/Pkg-Hocus Pocus - and cut a piece the size of my desired card front. I ran the paper thru the Cuttlebug Swiss Dots folder, and then used an emery board to 'distress' the dots a little more to make more color pop out of the Core'dinations card stock. The Swiss Dots folder wasn't quite the right size for my card, and left some space at the bottom, so I cut a tiny strip of the card stock and used the colored side, to balance the bottom of the card. Then, for a little bit of sparkle, I used Twinkle Jewels to enhance the paper strip!

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Okay, first off I have to admit that Winter Woodland is one of my all time favorite Cricut Cartridges. I simple LOVE the font on this cartridge and how it has class and style all at the same time! Plus, its not much of a stretch that the Alaska girl likes the cartridge that is dedicated to all things ice and snow. Now that I have made this admission, it should come as no surprise that I am a huge fan of what Peggy has done here. My absolute favorite part would be the title of the page. The white lettering jumps off of their navy background to draw the eye and add interest to the project as a whole.

To get this look at home, start by choosing your base cardstock. Then, cut each element that you want to add to the page. Want a quick tip? I have found the the best way to assemble elements that I cut with my Cricut is to use Wacky Tac. Wacky Tac comes in pads and each sheet goes a long long way! You simply lay the image face up onto the tacky dots, cover with the top sheet, and rub over with your finger. When you peel the image off of the adhesive sheet, it will be evenly covered with adhesive and ready to place. I love it! I keep a large stock on hand so that I NEVER run out!

Back to the project! Once each element is assembled, just lay them out on the page and you are ready to go. This is a quick and easy layout that anyone can do!

Thank you Peggy for once again sharing your beautiful work with us.

The products used to create Peggy's Winter Fun can be purchased from Cutters Creek!

Thursday, January 21, 2010

Before moving onto Valentine's Day cards I decided to stamp one more Lily! I just love these stamps from Pink Cat Studios. The great thing about the Lily hot cocoa image is that she doesn't have to be used strictly for Christmas. And unfortunately, winter is going to be around for a little while so why not make the best out of it? I'm going to use this card as a thank you card, most likely.

I stamped Lily onto some of the new Prism cardstock (which I just LOVE) and colored her with Copic markers. I cut her out with a square Nestabilities die and then layered the image onto a scalloped square that I cut with another die. A card is not complete without a little sparkle right? I used twinkle jewels on the scalloped square corners, glossy accents on her mittens and boots, Stickles to make the fur on her hood stand out, and a Atyou Spica glitter pen on her hot cocoa mug! I finished it off with a border punch and some patterned paper from my stash.

If you have any questions for Angela about this fun card project just ask! She or another member of the Design Team will be happy to answer.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Look at this sweet and sassy little girl! This cute Valentine's Layout comes to us from Peggy. I love how she has used bright colors and then balanced them with black to make the words stand out from the rest of the page! This is a classic technique that ties together the black background of the photo with the title and the journaling.

To get this look Peggy started with a brightly colored sheet of card stock. Then, using the new Love Struck Cricut Cartridge, she cut out the different elements for her page, including the title, large background heart and flourish. All that was left was to layer the individual elements to create a fun, balanced page that would make the perfect addition to any scrapbook. My favorite element is the large black flourish that Peggy has positioned to swirl out of the bottom of her pic. It makes it look as though the picture is spreading out to claim the page as a whole!

The products used to create Peggy's Sweetie Pie can be purchased from Cutters Creek!

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Just look at that sweet boy! Oh! Don't you just want to get those little cheeks! So stinkin cute!

With this picture Wendy has managed to capture a moment that has eluded me up to this point. You see, there comes a time every year when Santa sets up shop all over town. His big red chair stuffed and primed, basket of mini candy canes packed to brimming, and happy helpers lined up to man the camera. As mothers we then dress up our little ones and drag them out in the cold to catch that one perfect moment of our sweet child perched happily upon Santa's knee.......at least that's the idea! In reality most of the kids run screaming in the other direction (my daughter among them) as the fat man in the red suit tries to pry them out of Mommy's arms. We laugh it off (although a bit frazzled) just to repeat the process all over again 12 short months later.

Wendy has used this gorgeous layout to capture this precious moment with her son. And. by using the Fancy Pants Magic Paper kit everything went together in a snap! All she had to do was use one piece of cardstock and one of the transparent overlays and she has a quick and easy layout ready to go.

To accent her page Wendy used Twinkle Jewels. I love how they give just a kiss of bling that adds interest and fun to the project as a whole. For her journaling Wendy used Copic Atyou Spica Glitter Pens. Much like the Twinkle Jewels, Copic's Glitter Pens give a light kiss of sparkler that is perfect for accenting. You can use them for journaling or to add color to a stamped image or sticker. I love these pens and find myself reaching for them again and again!

I love the simplicity of this layout and how each element really adds to the whole rather than distracts from the sweet pic.

Thank you Wendy for once again sharing your beautiful work with us!

The products used to create Wendy's Sweet Moment with Santa can be purchased from Cutter's Creek!

Sunday, January 17, 2010

This card went thru many alterations as I created it. My original sketch was significantly different, but as I started putting it together, it called me in a different direction. You know what they say about 'best laid plans'... Sometimes, you just have to go where the creative juice pulls you!

The base of this card is from Cricut Wild Cart. I used the Father's Day card, because I liked the deckled edge. I used the blackout feature, so that I didn't get the frame cutout that comes with the basic card. I finally broke out my Cricut 12x24 paper to get a large enough card for what I was after. I used the envelope that matches the card, and I cut that FIRST...using the "Fit toPage" feature. By clicking on that button on my Expression, when I hit "Cut", I kept an eye on my digital screen on the Cricut - and watched what size it said the envelope was - which turned out to be 7 1/2".

After the envelope cut, I set my Cricut to the size it cut the envelope...so I had a perfect fit! I also cut a liner for my envelope, so that the little circles on the envelope flap would show up as a different color and POP! Finally, I made a second 'front' of my card out of vellum, to look more 'cloudy'. I was going to use the snow background from ZooBalloo...but after I cut it, I realized that the shape was all wrong...so I set it aside to use some other time! Instead, I used the same card, but put it in Design Studio, making it the correct 7 1/2". I dragged the back of the card OFF the design mat, so that it would not cut...only the front, with the pretty deckle edge, would actually cut. It made a perfect fit.

To create my winter scene, I used multiple cut sizes of the Snow Drift in Paper Doll Dress Up. Two were cut from plain white paper, and the center was cut from a vellum swirl print. To make it more dimensional, and keep with the swirl theme, I then ran the vellum thru my Cuttlebug, using the Emboss A2 D'Vine Swirl folder. The white on white didn't appear as dimensional as I wanted, so I inked the edges of each white drift with some light teal ink I had on hand...but it could just have easily been done with a Copic Sketch like BG18 - Teal Blue. Then, using the score lines that my Cricut added to the drifts, I heat embossed white glitter to accent.

The trees were made from ZooBalloo. I used the same tree background in two different sizes, using two different papers. I simply 'flipped' one of them around to appear like a different cut. I then accented the front trees with marker to give the appearance of pine needles. I adhered each layer down, starting with the vellum, the back trees, the front trees, and then the three layers of snow drifts. I loved the way this looked, and scrapped my plans to add additional shapes and words to the front of the card! Instead, I used dimentional snow effects to make it look like there was snow on the trees and along the ground. This could have been accomplished with Glossy Accents, Flower Soft, or even Liquid Pearls! Then I used my new Ocean Twinkle Jewels to be the centers of snowflakes! They needed more bling, so I added silver Stickles to the snow flakes and top layers of some of the trees.

I was going to put a cutout on the front of the card, which I made using Design Studio showing "Happy Birthday", created from the Lyrical Letters cartridge. I cut it on Core'Denations Black Magic paper so that the edges would show the blue in my card theme. Unfortunately, this cut turned out a little delicate, and fell apart when I pulled it off the mat. However, I really wanted to use it...so I improvised. I glued the pieces down on the page piece by piece, putting them together as if they had stayed together...and once it's all glued down, you can't even tell that it fell apart! But then I ran into a problem...and how many times has this happened to you? You cut a word with a dotted letter like an "i" or "j" and by the time you get ready to put it on the page, the "dot" to your letter just disappears! I improvised, and brought the theme inside the card, and used another Twinkle Jewel inside the card for the dot of my "i" with some additional Stickles!

The primary focus of the front of the card was supposed to be the snow lady from the Limited Edition Snow Friends cartridge, which was my holiday gift from my best friend whom I was making the card for! By the time the front of the card was complete, I realized that she was now totally out of place...but not to worry...I put her on the INSIDE of the card for a little extra carry forward of my snow theme.

Saturday, January 16, 2010

This is not your typical Valentine's Day card but it does cover the theme of love!

By using Ranger Daubers in many colors, a bamboo stamp, a whole background, foreground and tag can be created easily. I LOVE color and any time I get the chance to play with it, I will! Don’t be afraid to try something new, step out of the box, learn new techniques, and continue to use the ones you like. Remember: Store your daubers upside down so that the paint keeps the dauber tip wet and it won’t dry out. If it does, you can always purchase more dauber tips from Cutter’s Creek. Paint was applied right to stamp, the stamp image was stamped, and then the stamp was washed off. Mica powder (optional) was brushed randomly at the edges of the tag. Note: The background was glued to a scrap piece of cardboard from a package of stickers!

Friday, January 15, 2010

Just look at this sweet card! It makes me long for warmer days and cricket filled nights! She says that when she created this card that she was "thinking spring" and I couldn't agree more. Once again Lisa has outdone herself, and we are so fortunate that she is ready and willing to share her skills with us!

My favorite part of this card is how Lisa has taken simple classy elements and put them together and a beautiful way. Look at the three flowers that run down the right hand side. By layering two pre-cut flowers and topping them with a single Twinkle Jewel she has created a gorgeous element that pulls her work together and makes it pop. So so pretty!

So now, and without any further waiting, I am going to turn it over to Lisa and let her tell us a bit about her cute little friend.

For this card I wanted to pull myself out of the cold winter and spend some time dreaming about Spring. The HedgeGrow Friends from FlowerSoft were absolutely perfect for my mood! Now, I want to point out that I did not actually use any Flower Soft on this card, just the topper, but I still LOVE the effect. This shows how you can use the toppers all on their own to create quick, yet beautiful, cards perfect for any number of occasions!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Ladies, I am pleased to say that the blog is back and better than ever! I know, I know, we were only gone for about three days, but I missed you guys! It's just not the same for me when we don't get to have these little daily talks. Plus, (as life has a way of getting IN THE WAY) this is as close to my craft room as I have gotten in awhile! My fellow Design Team members keep giving me these amazing ideas and I can't wait to put them to good use!

Today, Mandie is sharing a super cute take on Thank You notes that is sure to leave you with a smile on your face. What I like best about this design is that it can easily be coordinated to any color palette. All you have to do is change the color of her dress, and you are ready to go! So get those pencils out to take some notes, because Mandie is going to show us how to crank out the cards!

Take it away Mandie!

After Christmas we all have a ton of "Thank You's" to say so why not send a beautiful handmade card to say it! As soon as I saw my new Pink Cat Studio Enchanted Lily #1 Stamp Set from Cutter's Creek I knew it would be perfect to make some beautiful Thank You Cards from my daughters!

I began by making a 6" x 6" card base from white cardstock. Then I cut my sheet of patterned paper to 5 3/4" x 5 3/4". Next I adhered my ribbon to my patterned paper with Scor-Tape. Then I adhered this to my base with more Scor-Tape.

Next I cut a 3" circle from my Simply Smooth Cardstock with my Plantin Schoolbook Cricut cartridge. Then I cut a 4" blackout clover from teal cardstock with my Storybook Cricut Cartrige. I stamped my fairy onto the circle with my black

Staz-on ink.

Next I colored in my fairy. I used Copics for the flesh, E00 and E11, and rosy cheeks, R20, and was thrilled with the results! Since I am just starting my Copic collection I used purple, teal, green and yellow markers from my stash to color the rest of her.

Next I used a yellow Twinkle Jewel from the Summer colors to highlight the center of her flower wand, and added Diamond Stickles to the edge of her wings for some fairy sparkle. Then I adhered the circle into the center of the clover using my Tombo Mono Adhesive. In the

center of each petal I ahered Ocean colored Twinkle Jewels. I used foam tape to adhere my image to the front of my card. Last I stamped "Thanks fairy much!" on a scrap of white paper and adhered it to a scrap of the teal. I accented the word "fairy" with a little glitter with my Sakura Jelly Roll Stardust Glitter Pens. I adhered this to the lower right corner of my patterned paper and added a couple more Ocean Twinkle Jewels as well.

Mandie has done a fantastic job putting together this beautiful card! Let's all take a minute to show her the love!

All of the products used to make Mandie's Thank You Fairy Much can be purchased from Cutters Creek!

Saturday, January 9, 2010

I love Flower Soft and love how so simple it is to create something so gorgeous with minimal effort. These toppers are from the Scenic Windows Summer 2 collection. They were a late release this fall and I think as we get closer to Spring, these will be something that every Flower Soft owner will want. Unlike the holiday decoupage cards that Flower Soft came out with at CHA Summer, these are cut outs. The good news is, they are really not hard to cut out at all. There are a lot of straight lines, so for most of the pieces, I just cut them away from my provided card sheet and used my paper trimmer to get a nice clean & straight line. For the rest, I used my super sharp and fine Cutter Bee Scissors. The butterflies were a little harder, however I am a butterfly lover and was so going to cut those little guys out! I used crystal stickles to bling my butterflies up, and used foam squares to mount all the pieces to give my card dimension and "pop". Lastly. I laid down Flower Soft glue and sprinkled Flower Soft where I thought some extra something, something would look nice and not overdo it. These did not take long at all and the result is, cards that look like you spent forever on! Also, the sentiments are included with each topper, or add your own. Remember to make these items with yor own style and as reflection on who you are as a crafter.

Okay Ladies! I am SOOOOOOOOO excited to be the one that gets to share this with you! One, because I think that these new Pink Cat stamps are just precious. And, two.....because it is my very first time to work with all my new Copics!

As soon as I saw these images at Cutters Creek, I couldn't wait to get my hands on them! They are perfect for so many different kinds of projects, and they have arrived just in time for Valentine's Day! I think that my favorite of the three is the sweet little girl in the middle sitting on her heart. I am going to take that image and stamp my daughter's name into the heart! So cute!

I've also shot each image close up so that you can get a good idea of the detail, and how each one will look on the page!

First up is Lily Valentine Ballerina! Since we are so close to Valentine's Day I choose a traditional Valentine's color scheme, and I love it! But honestly, I think that there is so much more that you could do with this image. I can see her colored in soft, sweet baby colors and used on thank you notes for shower gifts. Or, colored to match a party theme and used to decorate treat bags. So many options!

But that is one of the things that is so great about Pink Cat. These are images that you will find yourself reaching for again and again!

In keeping with the Lily theme, next up we have Lily Valentine Fairy! This little girl is so sweet! Since I colored her to go in my daughter's book, I used the pink and brown color scheme of the book as a whole. I like how this gives her a different feel and may also use this design to top the Valentine treat bags I make for my daughter's little friends. (Cut with my Cricut of course!)

If you look closely at her wings, I colored them using my Spica Glitter pen. LOVE the effect. It makes them shimmer lightly just like fairy wings should! It is the perfect finishing touch.

For those of you who have never used Pink Cat, the first thing that you will notice is the quality of the image. The lines are clean and perfectly balanced, giving you a crisp, fresh look each and every time!

Our last image is called Pixie's Make a Cupcake, and it features Pink Cat's brand new pixie friends, Dottie, Nixi and Pippa! These cute little girls lend an element of fun that just makes you want to smile! It contagious! I think that this image is really really sweet, and I am excited to see more fun in the future with these three.

Now, each of these stamps (as well as the coordinating images in their sets) are available directly from Cutters Creek. But, you'll want to act quickly to get them in your hot little hands before Valentine's Day. Trust me ladies, they are going to literally fly out the door!

And when you get them, I would love to see what you make, so be sure to post it in the group!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Cutter's Creek has everything you could want for the Cricut, but also carries software to borrow, or create your own images to cut on your Cricut. I bought SCAL2 and MTC and now I am expanding my library of images. Combine Cricut Cartridge images, and add special touches with SVG images and SCAL or MTC.

In honor of my excitment with the new software I bought at Cutter's Creek, here is a free SVG file for you. It is a tag book! This book folds and has pockets so you can slip a photo or sentiment. Cut more than one and glue together to create a meandering book.

Here is a preview:

This is what the inside looks like. Wanted to show you what it looks like with the pockets. I used Bazzill paper. The tag has score lines so it is easy to fold.

This is a layout of some older pictures I took of my daughter at a typical grade school holiday concert. Normally, I scour the web for layouts to adapt for my projects, but this time, I decided to create my own sketch, based on what I have learned over the years from other sketches! The only way to learn is to try...and it took a couple of adjustments...but I think the overall result turned out ok.

The reindeer was a fun new technique for me to try since my fellow design team members use it so frequently. I used distress ink to shade the edges of the reindeer. Then, using a very small paint brush, I actually 'painted' the distress ink onto the detailed cuts that the Cricut makes to 'define' the shape (thanks, Lea, for that tip!)..and then filled in those spots that I felt should be darker on his antlers and hooves. A simple ribbon bow ties the color scheme together and gives him dimension.

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

my own to match my personality and what I want to create! Although most of this layout is designed with the Winter Wonderland cartridge (The mini cartridges are perfect for other snowflakes), I found the perfect bridge when I looked at my Paper Dolls cartridge. Mix and match your cartridges! You will find more elements that can work together, EVEN, if you never thought a cartridge would have an element to match. I almost passed Paper Dolls for this layout but I’m so thrilled I didn’t.

Here are some easy techniques to enhance your die cuts:

Pastel Chalking Die Cuts: I loved how the bridge cut out with little lines so I knew where the shading would go if I wanted to enhance this image. I used Pebbles Earthtone Chalks and added gray to areas to make bricks. I did use a little white to make the highlighted areas pop out! It is really easy to do, takes moments and the results are striking. If one didn’t want to do all the shading, just take the chalks and run color around the edges using the applicator to pull color in onto the surface of the die cut. I used a little gray on the bunny’s ear and under his chin. I am totally addicted to these chalk palettes - they have so many colors and shades, and now I noticed shimmers and metallic colors! I have to HAVE them ALL!!

Ink Edging: Take your favorite pigment inks or Ranger’s Distressed inks and swipe the edge of your paper or photo mat into the ink pad. This creates a defined edge to your paper, makes it stand out against the surface it is mounted to. See photo.

Flower Soft Textures: Flower Soft isn’t just for flowers. Look at textures, of hair, or animal fur or even in this layout, the bunny’s tail!! I have a variety pack of Flower Soft ordered filled with many colors to choose from. A starter kit might be perfect to give one ideas for playing with this fabulous product.

Liquid Appliqué/EP/Glitter Snow: I wanted to make the snow look realistic without going over the top. I wanted “bling” of glitter to make the little crystals of snow stand out. The easiest way to achieve this is to use Liquid Appliqué (LA). LA comes in tubes and it is easy to squirt out with great detail. If you heat the LA right away with a heat tool, you get lots of bumpy texture. If you wait until it is dried, you get a more smooth yet bumpy texture. I let the LA dry before I heated the surface. Another way to add snow is to use Blingz! The extra thick Shimmerz that will dry with dimension if you blop it on or use a small palette knife. For the tree I used Stickles to lay down the glitter, then embossed Ranger’s Blue Pearl EP on top, then added the LA for the final dimension.

Multi-colored Glittered Snowflakes: The snowflakes started out a light blue. I used a blue

pigment ink to add dark blue to areas. I use pigment inks because I can take a sponge or my finger and spread the color the way I want to. On top of that I used a corner of Ranger’s Adirondack “Snow Cap” pad to add white. I used the corner of the pad because some of the blue will get on the pad. The color will blend so you have white, light blue, and dark blue. Lastly went over the area of the snowflakes with Stickles and spread it out and then added a dot of Stickles in the center of the snowflakes.

Note: For the tree, one tree was cut in olive green and one in light blue. I cut the tree part off of the light blue die cut and then glued it the bottom of the olive green die cut.

I am busy working on my next project, which will be some very sweet little Valentine/ Love Cards, also from the Flower Soft line. If you are interested in what toppers I am using next, please check out these toppers from the Hedgegrow Friends Line, aren’t they adorable!

I can also recommend the gorgeous Lavender and Lace Flower Soft Kit, one that I personally own. This kit is perfect for anyone like me, who loves all things purple. It has some gorgeous decorative papers and all kinds of unique and beautiful floral projects.

If you have any questions about Flower Soft or any of the projects I create, please feel free to leave a comment! As always....

All of the products used to make Lisa's Warm Wishes can be purchased at Cutters Creek!

Monday, January 4, 2010

I love this layout! Look at how well Mandie has blended colors and textures to create a simple, yet eye catching piece that is a pleasure to share! This layout was created using the same exact paper pack, Basic Grey Eskimo Kisses, that I used to make Carrie's Christmas Cookies. By comparing these two projects you can easily see the beauty and versatility of this gorgeous paper. Just accent with a different color of solid card stock and you can completely change the entire palette for your project!

Also, before we get into talking about how you can

recreate this work of art on your own. I want to point out the Bazzill Dotted Swiss card stock that Mandie used to accent. The texture of this card stock adds dimension and class to the layout as a whole that is simply stunning! In fact, as this is not a product that I currently have in my stash, I think that I need to go an order some now! Click here to jump to Cutters Creek and check out the 60 sheet multi-pack that Kim has stocked for us.

Now, I'm going to be quiet and let Mandie tell us a bit more about this page in her own words:

Hello all! Here is my first project of the New Year! It was a blast to make and I hope that you all enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoyed putting it all together!

Let's start with the supply list!

Christmas With Grandpa Layout was created using the following products:

My 3 main photos are 4" x 6" and matted to 4 1/2" x 6 1/2", the 3 square photos are just a bit smaller than 3" x 3" and are matted at 3" x 3" and the far right photo is slightly smaller than 3" x 4 1/2" and matted at 3" x 4 1/2".

Holly Paper is cut at 5" x 10"Striped Paper is cut at 12" x 4"Dark Red is cut at 2" x 12" (Then I trimmed a little and rounded the corners)Green is cut at 5" x 8"

Layer papers as shown and adhere with Tombo Mono Adhesive.Spell out title with letter stickers and use the Sakura Glitter Pen to add little snowflakes to the letters for more bling.Add deer emblishment and brads.

If you have any questions for Mandie or another member of the Design Team, just ask! We always love to hear from you!

Thanks Mandie for another beautiful project!

The supplies for Mandie's Christmas with Grandpa can all be purchased from Cutters Creek.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Okay ladies...be kind. I now submit (for your enjoyment I hope :) my very first Design Team project. I had a blast making this, but I also learned a few things along the way.

1 - I need to figure out a better way to take pics.

2 - Scrapping is much easier once the 2 year old is in bed.

3 - Said 2 year old's new kitten thinks that my desk is a wonderland of fun things to chase off into the floor.

Definitely a learning experience! This layout was created using the new Eskimo Kisses paper from Cutters Creek. As soon as I saw this paper pack, I knew that I had to have it.

the colors are AMAZING! What is so perfect is that you have this delicate blend of colors that can be punched up with a bold cardstock as I did here, or blended with lighter elements for softer look. Beautiful blues, icy pinks, shades of greens and even purple all flow together to form a very versatile palette! Plus, the pack comes with 2 full 12x12 sheets of card stock stickers that you can use to accent your work. I love that the stickers are printed with the same patterns as the card stock to give you that perfect match.

I also got the chance to use one of my favorite techniques on this project. Look closely at the two snowflakes on the left hand page. To create those I took two sticker from the sheet that came with the kit and then, instead of sticking them to the page, I coated the backs with a corse white glitter. Then to give it a "pop" of color, I added Twinkle Jewels that coordinated with the rest of the layout. This is a great technique that you can use with any sticker. Especially if you have one that you like the shape of, but not necessarily the color or the print. You can dip them in glitter, flock, microbeads, or any other loose textured element!

To create the title, I called on my trusty Cricut! (LOVE my Cricut!) I cut "Christmas" using the new Winter Wonderland Cartridge while "Cookies" is off of From My Kitchen. I like the look of the two completely different fonts and feel that they add interest to the layout as a whole. Plus....doing it this way lets me play with more carts!

For me, the best way to attach the elements that I create with my Cricut is the one and only Wacky Tac! Trust me, if you try this product once, you will never let yourself run out. It gives you flawless, edge to edge coverage not matter how crazy or intricate the shape may be. Love it!

The finishing touch comes from the ribbon lacing on the right hand pic series. I set the eyelets and then threaded them with ribbon to draw the eye and tie the pics together.

I hope that you enjoy this project and would love to hear what you think! If you have any questions or comments, please drop us a line!

Friday, January 1, 2010

First off, let me be the first to wish all of you a wonderful and scrappy New Year! The Design Team is totally stoked about 2010, and we thought that we would start things off with a bang! This year we are dedicated to bringing you the latest and greatest of what the scrapbooking world has to offer. Its going to be a crazy trip, and we hope that you will take it with us!

So, check back early and often as the projects will be flying and we don't want you to miss a minute of what the Cutters Creek Design Team has to offer.

To kick things off, Vicki has created these fun ornaments using her Design Studio and the Tags, Bags and Boxes, Storybook and George Cartridges. She also grabbed some images using SCAL for the finishing touches! The results are fun, funky ornaments that would be unique and beautiful on any tree or the perfect accent to a beautifully wrapped present!

Here's how she did it:

"First, using Design Studio, I sized and cut the shadow box from Tags, Bags, Boxes & More on my Cricut out of chipboard. (I can share the cut file if desired...but I don't know the right way to label these.) I used Pressure High, Blade 6, Speed 3, Multi-Cut 2 on regular thin chipboard. Next, I made a frame using Storybook and George in Design Studio. The scalloped edge is a solid shape, and the center is 'burped' out of the object using a rectangle from George, welded to the scalloped shape.

Next, I used SCAL and some free SVG files to cut the themed objects that fit in the shadow box - one that is adhered to the back of the shadow box and one that is hung between the shadow box and the frame. These are cut on the cricut, using the same settings as above. In the example shown, for my music theme, I used a treble clef for the hanging object, and an instrument for the back showcased piece. You can just as easily pick objects from cartridges you own - matching your theme. I suggest making the hanging object about 1.5 to 2 inches in length, and the back 'showcased' object at least 3 inches, but no bigger than 3.5 inches.

Now that all the pieces are cut, it's time to decorate them! These pieces can be colored using regular markers, Tim Holtz Paint Daubers, Pebbles Chalks, or any other kind of materials. I like to use silver for the back of the shadow box and scalloped frame. The other pieces can match the color of your theme.

Next, using Stickles, Blings, Shimmerz or glitter, 'bling' the scalloped frame, the hanging object and the showcased object (if desired). In the example photos, the saxophone player was for a boy, so I didn't glitter that piece - but the violin was for a girl so I used super-blingy glitter! When using Stickles, allow plenty of time for the piece to dry! If you are using glitter - make sure to have a Glitter Cloth handy - because this little piece of magic fabric does a wonderful job of cleaning up after a glittery mess!

While waiting for your paint and or glitter to dry, cut the paper to line the inside of your shadowbox. Using paper of your choice/theme - cut the SAME shadow box design from Design Studio on patterned paper. In this example, the item being 'showcased' is a musical instrument, so I used music themed paper. Hint - FOLD the shadowbox and the paper separately before gluing them together. After all the folds are made with a bone folder or Scor-Pal, glue the patterned paper to the chipboard using Zip Dry glue.

Now it's time to assemble the ornament.

First, glue the sides of the shadowbox together using strong glue. I used my hot glue gun, but any strong quick-dry glue will work. Next, using a thin piece of ribbon or fishing line, 'hang' the object from the front of the shadowbox. I used hot glue to hold down the edges of the ribbon. Next, using 3D Foam Squares, adhere the showcased piece to the back inside of the shadow box. I created the ornament hanger by using the same ribbon and creating a hanging 'loop' of ribbon, glueing the ends to the top of the box. Now, attach the scalloped frame to the front of the shadow box, again using a strong, quick dry glue. Finally, hide all the folding tabs and hanging ribbons by gluing a piece of 3/4 inch ribbon around the outside frame of the shadowbox.

I gave these ornaments as gifts to teenagers - the girls loved the bling and the guys loved the 'personalization' of an instrument they love. I could just have easily done flowers, cartoon characters, school objects...the possibilities are endless! I recommend storing these in zip-close sandwich bags - which keeps the glitter from going all over everything when transporting them."

If you have any questions for Vicki about her funky little project, just ask! She or another member of the Design Team will be happy to get back with you.

All of the products for this project can be purchased at Cutters Creek!

Thank you Vicki for sharing your awesome work we look forward to seeing much much more in 2010!